Monday, 4 March 2013

We wrote last week about the idea of appointing a youth
council for Boston along with the possibility of having a Young Mayor for the
borough.

Reaction from readers was mixed – and on balance not wildly
enthusiastic.

Perhaps it echoes the general malaise that seems to be
percolating through politics at present.

As an example, one Boston
Eye reader wrote to tell us of a meeting he attended at the Red Lion
Inn at Stickford last Thursday. It was organised by East Lindsey District
Councillor Victoria Ayling, with Bostonians especially in mind to discuss the European
Union.

Interestingly, the meeting was held on the day of the
Eastleigh by-election, which saw UKIP crush the Tories into third place, and
the Lib Dems cling on despite all their current problems.

Our correspondent told us: “I'm just a 45 year old
(reluctantly middle aged?) working chap who lives in a little terraced house,
surrounded by other little terraced houses with (in the main) big satellite
dishes on 'em.

“I'd like to think politically aware, but absolutely no
party political affiliations or loyalties.

“To be honest, at this point in time you couldn't (if it
could be bought) pay me to vote for Simmonds or Kenny, or actually any of the
three main parties. Such is the high regard they've all managed to engender.”

But when he set off for last week’s meeting, we imagine that
he anticipated
the possibility of a reasonable gathering to debate the issues.

“The idea was that feedback would be given to Mark Simmonds
on local views.

“The attendance: the four of us, plus a couple of local
fishermen and a couple of retired builders who'd gone in for a game of cards.

“Nobody, absolutely
nobody, from the usually extremely vocal Boston Protest March group could be
bothered.

“I know some might blame the remote location, but in
fairness, Councillor Ayling represents a rural, not a town ward, so naturally
hosted her meeting within her area.

“If this is the level of interest in something that affects
us all daily, how could those who remotely rule us from their political ivory
towers arrive at any other conclusion but "the plebs are ok with it."

“More people could have made an effort.

“The good news was all attendees 100% agreed that Europe is
a pretty bad idea and we didn't want to be in it.

“Even if she doesn't need my vote, Councillor Ayling goes up
a half-notch in my estimation just by holding a face-to-face meeting on this
topic.

“The idea of one of our 'representatives' being available to
converse with, was just too novel to pass up.

“It makes a refreshing change from the rest of them, cowering as
they do in the Municipal Buildings, just occasionally breaking cover
for the odd Standard interview
between elections.”

Councillor Ayling must surely have been disappointed.

Ahead of the meeting, she said that she had been bombarded
with calls and emails from people with concerns and suggestions about Britain’s
relationship with Europe.

“There have been concerns about how much the EU costs, while
others have suggestions on how we can get Europe to work better for us,” she
said.

“Also with Boston hitting the headlines recently due to the
numbers of immigrants settling as a result of our membership of the European
Union, Europe is very relevant to our community.”

Sadly, though, when push comes to shove, Bostonians –
not for the first time – simply can’t be bothered.

Indifference such as that must be very satisfying for the so
called “leadership” of Boston Borough Council.

Doubtless, they applaud the idea of wholesale indifference
in the hope that it will see a rubber stamped return to office at the 2015
local elections.

But that’s still more than two years away.

What the proposal for a Young Mayor for Boston has achieved
is to rekindle the debate over an elected mayor for the borough.

Another reader told Boston
Eye: “A young mayor for Boston is not the right thing. The problem it
causes is that there will be a young mayor and an old mayor – and no one who is
middle-aged, working and in touch with both scales of the ages.

“What Boston really needs is an elected mayor
who is in touch with all people of Boston, and mostly importantly voted in for
the people to represent them."

In the past, this idea has been scoffed at, but give the
growing contempt in which our leaders - who are appointed by their own cronies – appear to hold the people who put them in
power, it would not take much to put the idea to the vote.

All it needs is for 2,417 people to call for a
referendum on the idea and one will have to take place.

Surely enough people have had their fill of the bully boys
(and girls) in blue to being such a thing about?

“Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has
found no remedy for the worst of them all -- the apathy of human beings.”
― Helen Keller.

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com
Your e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if
requested.

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About the author

is written and edited by retired Lincolnshire born writer and broadcaster Malcolm Swire, who was brought up in London, where he began his career in journalism.
In the 1960s he joined the Boston Standard before returning to London to write for the UK’s national news agency, the Press Association – then based in Fleet Street.
He returned to Lincolnshire –where his family history goes back more than a century – in various public relations roles, before becoming a founder member of BBC Radio Lincolnshire,where he created the station's Go for Gold appeal,which raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities.
Over the years, he read the news, presented programmes and retired from the BBC as the station's Programme Organiser and Deputy Managing Editor.
He started the Boston Eye blog in February 2007 and has vowed to continue until Boston Borough Council's leadership is all that it should be!
He has dug in for a long wait!